


A Foundling Tale

by QueenZombean



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23900542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenZombean/pseuds/QueenZombean
Summary: When Nick and Judy are called to investigate a series of disturbances at a Zootopian Orphanage they wind up embroiled in the world of black market furs.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lesson learned..don't update when tired. Apologies for all the errors!

**\-- Headquarters --**

“Officer Wilde, we’re going to be late.” The use of his formal title was laced with annoyance and playful sarcasm. She turned at the top of the steps and faced him, “Don’t you think it’s time to get your own coffee machine?” Judy Hopps looked at her partner as he followed her up the stairs to the ZPD headquarters. 

“Oh come now,” Nick gave her his patented smirk as he blew lightly across the foam of his specialty coffee, “I thought supporting our small businesses was something all ZPD officers were tasked with.” 

“You know there’s a difference between offering support as a unit and enabling an addiction to caffeine.” Judy opened the door and motioned him through, “Since your hands are full.” 

“Why thank you Carrots.” The fox lifted his shades and deftly slipped them into his side pocket. 

The ZPD was bustling with activity, a sound that Judy had now grown to love and appreciate. Voices moving amidst departments as well as the various sizes of footprints coasting the floor. 

“Officer Hopps!” Clawhauser motioned for her to approach his desk. As the secretary/dispatcher this was the heart of their main floor and being called on was a coin toss as to whether one was in trouble or not, “Chief Bogo wants to see you ASAP.” 

Judy’s ears flicked. 

Clawhauser gave her a reassuring smile, “I don’t think it was a bad ASAP. Breathe. Think calm thoughts.” 

Nick slid a small green box along the counter, “Extra custard and cream.” 

  
The glee that came from Clawhauser’s face was priceless. He had this food dance that Judy and Nick had once attempted to copy but couldn’t even come close since they both lacked the tail technique. 

“You’re enabling him.” Judy muttered to Nick. 

“You say enable, I say keeping the ears of the ZPD in my favor.” He shrugged and tilted his head in Bogo’s direction, “I would get moving. ASAP was about three minutes ago.” 

Judy stuck her tongue out at him and took off towards the stairs. 

**\-- Bogo’s Office --**

Her knock always seemed so tentative compared to his booming, “ENTER” that accompanied it. Judy opened the door and walked in and was promptly told to close the door. 

“Sir?” She pushed the door shut and took her place in front of his desk, hands at ease. 

“I want you and Wilde to head down to the Foundling Orphanage. They’ve been vandalized repeatedly over the last few weeks and we need to find out why. Any questions?” 

Judy nodded, “Sir, if this has been going on for weeks why are we just now looking into it?” 

“I had a feeling you’d ask,” Bogo shuffled the papers on his desk, “You’ve been requested personally. The orphans are on edge because of the vandalism and you have a gentler way of handling things.” 

Judy stood a little prouder with that comment, “We’ll take care of it, Sir,” 

Bogo nodded, “I expect nothing less. Dismissed.” 

**\--The Foundling Orphanage--**

Located in the downtown core of Zootopia, the Foundling Orphanage was home to all lost souls. As such its large wooden doors were covered in bright green vines and purple flowers. A welcoming sight for even the saddest of situations. 

“Hopps, I’ll follow your lead.” Nick said as he shut the door on their vehicle, “You’re the one with the dozens of siblings. This should be easy for you.” 

Judy gave him a look before they both walked the stone stairs to the front door. The smell of fresh paint assaulted her nose and it twitched in annoyance, “The reports said the door was recently vandalized. They’ve been quick to clean it up.” 

“But how do they paint around all the plant life?” Nick flicked a flower, “Seems like a lot of work.” 

“It probably is,” Judy commented, “But anyone who works here must have a passion for difficult jobs.” 

The door opened and an elderly armadillo with grey hair and glasses came into view, “Hello Officers. We’ve been expecting you.” she opened the door wider, “Welcome to our Foundling Orphanage. Please, come in.” 


	2. Chapter 2

\--The Foundling Orphanage--

The elderly armadillo who had answered the door introduced herself as Mrs.Dasypod and she slowly shuffled them towards an office to the left of the large doors. The sound of children rang throughout the halls and Judy peppered Mrs.Dasypod with questions about the origin of the building, its founders and their procedures. 

“Hey Hopps, give the sweet lady a break,” Nick gave Mrs.Dasypod a sideways glance, “Apologies for my partner, Ma’am. Excitement comes naturally with the ears.” 

Judy gave him a disapproving look but noted she was a little overzealous and paused her pen, “Sorry…” She put the pad down. 

“It’s quite alright. I was one of the first orphans this building housed and I naturally stayed to help take care of the littles.” She pushed her spectacles up, “I know more than most do about the things that happen in these walls. It’s home.” Mrs.Dasypod knocked the door three times and then opened it,“Ms. Liidae will see you now.” 

Judy and Nick thanked her and then entered the office. It was a fair sized space, not surprising given the size of the building. What was surprising was the vast number of bookshelves filled to the brim with folders and loose papers. It was chaos. 

“Officer, your mouth is hanging.” Came a voice from behind a stack of books. The tiny scattering of paws pulled her attention. 

“I’m sorry…”Judy said to the desk, still unsure of whom she was addressing, “I’m just ...wow. That’s a lot of files.” 

“One or more for every orphan...even more if there are siblings.” More scattering was heard and then a large gecko popped her head over, “I try to organize them by species but sometimes that doesn’t work.” Her tongue darted out and she scaled the pile of files to perch on top, “Please, have a seat.” 

Judy and Nick sat down on the chairs across from the desk. They were free of files but the dust made a small poof as they disturbed it. 

“Thank you for coming,” She adjusted the tweed of her skirt and continued, “I hope you don’t mind me requesting you. I don’t want to sound as if I’m making judgements about the other fine officers. Some of our orphans are skittish.” 

“It’s alright, Ma’am.” Judy held up her paw and stopped that train of thought, “I am more than happy to be here. So, start from the beginning.” Her pen was poised. 

“We’ve always had issues with a broken window here or a painted word there. Sometimes it’s our own orphans who were the reason behind the incidents. I never gave it much mind. Then about three weeks ago things started happening one after the other.” She reached around for a paper and held it out, “I started documenting them.” 

Nick stood up and took it from her hands, “Wow.” He ran a paw over his forehead, “I can see what you mean.” He handed the list to Judy, “When did you notify the ZPD?” 

“After I started noticing a pattern. I had to be sure. I didn’t want to waste your resources on a prank.” Ms Liidae scurried down the desk to an adjacent bookshelf where she grabbed a file and brought it over, “This is the list of Orphans we took in right around the same time the incidents began. I know it’s an obscure thought but I can’t shake the feeling it’s possible one of them might know more than they’re telling me.” 

“Why would they tell us?” Judy asked as she reviewed the list, “You said it yourself, orphans can be skittish.” 

“Ah,” Ms.Liidae settled back onto her desk, “Yes, but you Officer Hopps are a fascination to them. They’ve heard all about you overcoming the odds. You’re a hero.” 

“Hey...I’m a hero too…”Nick muttered quietly. 

Judy nudged him, “I’m happy to help as is my partner.” She handed the list to Nick, “I think we should start with the oldest and work our way down.” 

“I can arrange for them to meet you in the garden. Mrs.Dasypod can show you where it is. Some of them are in lessons but I don’t think they’ll mind missing a bit of it.” 

“Thank you.” The two officers stood, “We’ll let you know when we’re done.” 

“Be sure to pop in before leaving.” Ms.Liidae said as she scurried across her files again to find a pen, “Let Mrs.Dasypod know if you’re hungry. She’ll have the kitchen make you something. We’ll also ensure you have tea. Everyone needs tea.” 

“Got any coff-” Nick’s words were cut short by Judy’s elbow to his side. 

“Tea is fine.” Judy said with a nod before ushering Nick to the door, “Thank you, again.” 

Once out of the office Judy spoke, “Okay. Let’s find Mrs.Dasypod, give the kids each about ten minutes and we should have a pretty good idea in no time if any of them are a part of this.” 

“Ten minutes,” Nick blinked at her, “Carrots have you ever spoken to one of these kids? They aren’t your happy go lucky siblings who are excited to tell you all about their day.” 

“Kids are kids. They love me.” Judy tapped her pen on his badge, “Trust me. I’m a pro.” 

“Yeah. A pro that’s forcing me to drink Tea.” Nick rolled his eyes, “Let’s go find the old lady.” 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

-The Foundling Orphanage-

Ms. Liidae had failed to inform the officers that the garden area was actually a fully enclosed atrium. The warm balmy weather mixed with the scent of sweet young flowers caused Judy to close her eyes and inhale slowly.

"Don't get too excited there," Nick said as he settled on a stone bench, "You'll get homesick."

"I won't…" Judy reached down and picked up a small handful of soil. Her fingers deftly broke it apart,"Whoever takes care of this place knows their stuff. This soil is rich." She slowly sifted the dirt out of her paws and let it fall back to its resting place.

"That would be me," Mrs Dasypod said as she entered slowly, "I've been tending some of these trees since their sapling days." She wheeled a cart with tea and cookies, "I figured it might encourage conversations along if you have something to offer. These cookies are a treat around here."

"Thank you," Judy eyed the cart that had been prepared with tender care, "You've been so helpful."

"I do what I can. Sometimes it doesn't feel like enough," Mrs.Dasypod gave a weak smile, "Our doors see so many new faces who come and go more than I'd like. I never know if we've made the right impact until it seems to be too late." 

Nick cleared his throat, "We'd best get started before dinner time is cut into."

Judy nodded, "Nobody likes their dinner interrupted." She gave a genuine chuckle, "Let's do this." A gentle smile was gifted to the kind Armadillo who agreed with them. 

"Wrestle you for good cop?" Nick held out his thumb. 

Judy shook her head and pushed his hand away, "Jeesh."

The next two hours passed quickly. Some, if not most, of the conversations with the Orphans tugged at the soft spots in both Judy and Nick's hearts. There were a few that wouldn't talk, some that talked too much but about the wrong topic and then one or two who just wanted to ask about being a police officer.

"Carrots," Nick pawed his face, "Ugh...kids...this was…"

"I know," Judy put her notepad down, "That wasn't easy, and we're no closer to answers than when we started but we did JUST started." She tapped the end of her pen on her nose, "When we're done here we can check the camera feeds around the neighborhood. Anyone carrying paint would be obvious or running from having just broken a window."

"We can also canvas the neighbors. This isn't a quiet place." Nick added in, "If we want we can request some extra feet to go through the grid faster."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Officers, this is Staci," Mrs. Dasypod seemed unsure of her words for the first time since they'd met her, "She's one of our older girls and has been here for awhile." As she spoke, Mrs.Dasypod ushered in the young Rhino whose pierced horn had an impressive gold hoop through it, "She's has some questions for you. If you don't mind."

"No, of course not. Thank you ," Judy said, "That's what we're here for." The two officers waited for the Armadillo to exit before asking Staci to take a seat, "So you wanted to talk to us?"

"Uh huh..." Staci straddled the bench, the leather of her jacket groaning as it stretched, "I want to know why none of the other cops bothered talking to us but suddenly you're here doing things so thoroughly. Is this some kind of stunt to make up for the fact nobody was doing their job before?"

Judy looked to Nick before responding, "I can guarantee you that no officer came here with the intent of brushing anything away. Up until now it was thought the incidents weren't related. It's only now come to light that they may be. "

Staci let out a sarcastic snort, "Took you long enough."

"If you knew something…" Nick's fur seemed to ruffle as he spoke, "..it would have been helpful to speak up in order to save time."

"And have it fall on deaf ears?" Staci threw back, "Most animals ignore us as is; the simple fact is we don't matter!"

"You do matter." Judy cut back, "The animals who work here think so and so do we."

"No," Staci answered with another snort, "The animals who work here know nothing else. Nobody voluntarily takes on the leftovers of our society." She held up her hoof to stop their interruptions, "In your world you think that badge means you deserve respect." She pointed to them, "You're in for a rude awakening. We're the part of society that doesn't fit into the pretty ideals of Zootopian society. In reality, that badge means nothing. "

"This badge means the same thing regardless of what district or area an animal lives in." Judy seemed flustered, "I..I'm sorry if you've had interactions that have led you to feel otherwise but...but we are here to help…"

Staci seemed to soften, "I'm sure a lot of cops start out with that desire. It stops mattering once you get an idea of how evil and dark the world can be. It's easier to just ignore it and sleep without nightmares."

Nick looked at Judy and then to the young Rhino, "Staci, how old are you?"

"Sixteen. Plenty old enough to understand my way around this town." The Rhino's attention was stolen by a twittering bird.

"I don't doubt that." Nick's voice seemed to mellow as he changed tactics, "I know my way around this town too; spent my fair share of time on them. If I've learned anything from this Officer here, it's that we aren't defined by where we come from." Nick nudged Judy, "And she won't let me forget that."

"And?" Staci said with a roll of her eyes, "Is this where you tell me something inspirational."

"No, this is where I ask you if your attitude has something to do with that brand on your wrist?" Nick hadn't wanted to bring it up, as he'd only noticed it when Staci had pointed her hoof at them flagrantly. It wasn't a symbol he recognized but he'd never known anyone to request a brand without a dangerous reason.

"You wouldn't understand," Staci pulled up her sleeve, "My Crash…I got it for them."

"Crash?" Nick didn't recognize the term.

"Herd." Judy filled in, "Crash is another term for her herd. Right Staci?"

When Staci nodded, her nose ring jingled quietly, "Yeah."

"Where are they?" Judy's pen stopping its motions as she realized that Staci being in an Orphanage obviously meant her Herd was no longer able or wanting to take her, "If it's an uncomfortable topic, we don't have to visit it."

Staci shrugged and ground out her answer, "The same thing that happens to any other family down here. They were destroyed." She looked at them with resolution "But that's got nothing to do with what's happening here. If you really want to know what's been going on then go see the Monkey down at the Tea Party Club. I wasn't sure if I was going to bother telling you that, but you two actually might not ignore me."

Judy and Nick looked at each other and then back to her, "We won't" They said in unison.


End file.
